Method of making heels



June 29 1926. 1,590,347

' J. E. M. cooKE METHOD OF MAKING HEELS Filed March 5; 1924 -Zruvnior:writ/was Mm CMXQQ/ Patented June 29, 1926. UNITED STATES JOSEPH EDWINMARKHAM COOKIE, OF STAFFORD, ENGLAND.

METHOD OF MAKING HEELS.

Application filed March 5, 1924. Serial No. 697,160.

The present invention relates to a method of making heels for boots andshoes and more particularly to a method of. making heels having thegeneral appearance and characteristics of rubber heels.

The present method is particularly applicable to heels of the generaltype shown and described in the copending application of Cooke SerialNo. 641,487, filed May 25, 1923. The heel illustrated and described inthis application comprises a central core or body formed of a pluralityof ply-wood lifts, the core having the general contour of' a heel andsurrounded on the bottomv and sides by an integral covering of rubber orsimilar vulcanizable material molded thereon.

According to the present invention a heel shaped member consisting of aplurality of ply-Wood lifts is received in a suitably shaped mold withablank of rubber. compound. Upon closing of the mold, the rubbercompound is forced about the sides of the central core, which may beshaped in part through pressure exerted upon the top face by thecorresponding portion of the mold. The rubber covering isvulcanized tothe wooden core about the sides and bottom and caused to firmly adherethereto, the roughened and uneven edges of the plywood liftscontributing in part at least to the union between the rubber coveringand the core. The built up wooden core may preferably be formed from aplurality of heel shaped plies, each of these plies being stamped or cutfrom a sheet of previously repared plywood. In the illustrated emboiment of the invention each ,lift is died out of a sheet of ply-woodconsisting of three plies having the grain crossed and secured byadhesive. Subsequent to the formation of the individual heel shapedlifts of p1y-wood, the requisite number of lifts are assembled,preferably coated with adhesive and secured together by nails driventherethrough. Thereafter the lifts are subjected to pressure and firmlyunited to form the heelshape'd body or core which may be partially orwholly formed to the desired curvature in longitudinal and transversesections in the comressing operation. Thereafter the previously formedbody is assembled in a heel mold with a blank of rubber composition ofthe desired size, the whole being subjected to heatand pressure in amanner to cause the rubber to flow about the sides of the wooden bodyand to be firmly united-thereto, as already described. In this finaloperation, the rubber may flow inwardly across the top or attaching faceof the wooden body, forming a thin skim coating, this coating not beingof suflicient thickness, however, to interfere with the attachment ofthe heel or impair its desirable qualities.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the essential steps in thepresent method, Fig. 1 represents a heel shaped lift died out of a sheetof ply-wood; Fig. 2 indicates a plurality of such lifts assembled andsub jected to compression; Fig. 3 represents the assembling of thecompleted heel shaped body with a rubber blank; and Fig. 4 rep-' resentsthe completed heel.

According to the present invention, a sheet consisting of a pluralityof'thoroughly seasoned and dried plies of wood is utilized for theproduction of heel shaped liftsa Such a lift is indicated in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings and consists of two outer plies 10. with an intermediateply 12 havmg the grain crossed with respect to the outer plies. Thesely-wood sheets are sufliciently thin to permit the lift to be died outwithout danger of cracking or otherwise injuring the ift. After theproduction of the heel shaped lifts from a sheet of ply-wood, several ofthese previously formed lifts are assembled to produce a heel shapedbody of the desired thickness. The lifts prior to assembly may be coatedwith adhesive and nails or other fastenings may be driven therethroughto insure a better union of the lifts. They are then preferablysubjected to pressure in order to produce a solid, nonbreakable heelshaped body, which can satisfactorily undergo the necessary heat andpressure in the operation of vulcanizing the rubber covering thereto. Ifso desired, the several ply-wood lifts may he stepped with relation toone another either by arranging the lifts in an offset relation or bymaking with the application of heat causes the rubber to flow about thesides of the wooden body and to firmly adhere thereto in such a mannerthat it cannot loosen or become disengaged, even under the most arduousconditions of usage. The adherence of the rubber covering to theply-wood core is due in considerable measure to the roughened or unevensurfaces provided by the edges of the ply-wood lifts, This unevenness isexaggerated when the lifts are staggered or offset with relation to oneanother.

The heel produced by this method is lighter than a solid rubber heel ofthe same dimensions and is not only lighter but more economical than acomposite heel of rubber and leather lifts, which requires for itscompletion certain finishing operations not necessary with the presenttype of heel. Furthermore the heel loses nothing in resiliency orwearing qualities as compared with the heels of the type referred to.

Referring particularly to the drawings, it will be observed thataccording to Fig. 2 three ply-wood lifts indicated generally at 14 areassembled and molded between opposite members 16 and 18 to a curvedform. The opposite surfaces of the lifts are preferably coated withadhesive and the various lifts may be secured together through fastenersindicated at 20. The assembling of the pre-formed lifts and uniting themunder pressure in the manner described produces a ply-wood body which islight, exceptionallystrong and capable of holding the fastenings withoutliability of cracking or splitting. The finished ply-wood body which mayhave uneven edges, due to stepping or offsetting the various lifts, asindicated in Figs. 2 and 3, is assembled in a heel mold with a blank ofrubber compound indicated at 22. The blank is preferably received in thelower portion of the mold cavity and the ply-Wood body is located abovethe blank and held in position by pins 2 L mounted in the upper part 26of the mold. The upper portion of the mold is provided with a convexportion 28 corresponding generally to the concave face of the ply-woodbody and the lower portion of the mold is flat to form a flat tread faceupon the finished heel, as

vindicated in Fig. 4. When the mold'is closed and the rubber blanksubjected to a vulcanizing heat and pressure, the rubber is caused toflow upwardly about the sides of the ply-wood body and firmly adherethereto. During the operation of molding, a slight amount of rubber mayflow inwardly between the upper face of the ply-wood body and the mold,forming a skim coating extending partially over the upper attaching faceof the body. The coating, however, is not sufficient to interfere withthe firm attachment of the ply-wood body to the attaching face of theshoe.

The practice of the above described meth- 0d permits the manufacture ofresilient heels in a relatively simple and efficient manner and with theemployment of well known type of apparatus. The dieing out or stampingof the ply-wood lifts together with the assemblage of these lifts into aplywood body is accomplished without the ne cessity of expensivefinishing operations, the roughened and uneven edges of the liftresulting in a greatly increased adherence of the rubber cover to theply-wood body. Fur-- which will not warp or be injured during thevulcanizing process.

I cla1m- 1. A method of making heels for boots and shoes which consistsin producing a wooden core consisting of a plurality of plies of woodsecured in assembled relation, assembling the previously formed core ina suitably shaped mold with a blank of rubber compound at one sidethereof, and subjectlng the core and rubber compound to vulcanizingheat'and pressure while preventing lateral movement of the core withinthe mold to cause the compound to flow about the core and into theinterstices at the edges of the core.

2. A method of making heels for boots and shoes which consists incutting a relatively thin lift from ply-wood, assembling a series ofsuch lifts, shaping the series of lifts to cause the assembled lifts tobe curved in section, and finally assembling the plywood body with ablank of rubber in a heel mold and subjecting the two to vulcanizingheat and pressure while retaining the body in a predetermined positionwithin the mold.

3. A method of making heels for boots and shoes which consists incutting a series of generally heel shaped lifts from plywood sheets,assembling a plurality of such lifts in superimposed relation, shapingthe body of assembled lifts to produce a curvature in section, andfinally assembling the ply-wood body in a heel mold with a rubber blankand subjecting the blank and body to vulcanizing heat and pressure. V

JOSEPH EDWHN MARKHAM! (100KB.-

